Monday, December 23, 2013

HICKORY N.C. – Ruth Anne Everett knows a thing or two about horses.
Since 1994, she has covered 6,750 miles in 131 endurance rides across the country. This year, she was the American Endurance Ride Conference’s (AERC) highest ranked rider in the Southeast, and she won the organization’s coveted National Hundred Mile Award.
“It’s good, clean fun. It’s the adrenaline rush without a substance,” the 58-year-old Hickory resident said.
That good, clean fun involved countless hours of preparation before each of the five 100-mile rides she completed this year. AERC riders have a 24-hour window to travel 100 miles on their horses. Sometimes, riders begin before sunrise and ride early into the morning of the following day. Points are awarded based on each rider’s rank at the finish line. Ruth Anne Everett’s best time in a 100-mile ride is 9 hours, 59 minutes...